1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a dentifrice (tooth paste or powder), and more particularly to the dentifrice having an antibacterial effect.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a dentifrice (tooth paste or powder) includes abrasive powder, foaming agent, perfume and taste adjusting agents, lubricant, caking additive and medicative ingredients as main components. In recent years, a dentifrice provided with an antibacterial effect has been developed, in which organic substances such as parahydroxybenzoates, chlorhexidines, hinokitiol and protamine and inorganic substances such as salt are known and used as materials exhibiting an antibacterial effect.
However, such a dentifrice containing the antibacterial materials is problematic from view points of toxicity, stability and taste, owing to the character of the antibacterial materials. Particularly, almost all the conventional antibacterial materials are low in heat-resistance and soluble in water, and therefore difficult to be thermally processed and not durable to use for a long period of time.
In this connection, it is known that metals such as silver, copper and zinc and salts thereof exhibit a high antibacterial effect. However, these metals or the salts cannot be safely used in a dentifrice (tooth paste) because metal ions of the metal tend to be readily released thereby causing a toxicity.